Method of and apparatus for producing finished open end yarn in a spinning chamber

ABSTRACT

Method of and apparatus for producing finished open-end yarn in a spinning chamber. A finishing material, for instance dyestuff, is fed into the spinning chamber, which is provided with a collecting surface for depositing fiber and with a take-off opening for taking-off yarn. The finishing material, for instance dyestuff, is applied to the yarn between the collecting surface and the take-off opening by friction of the yarn against a rotating application surface, the dyeing-through of the yarn being accomplished by penetration of twists of the yarn in the direction towards the collecting surface.

United States Patent Didek et al.

[ METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FINISHED OPEN END YARN IN A SPINNING CHAMBER Inventors: Stanislav Didek; Jaroslav Storek,

both of Usti Nad OrIici, Czechoslovakia Vyzkumny Ustav Bavlnarsky, Ustinad Orlici, Czechoslovakia Filed: Nov. 5, 1973 Appl. No.: 412,559

Assignee:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 6, 1972 Czechoslovakia 7444-72 US. Cl 57/35, 57/58.89, 57/164 Int. Cl. D01h 1/12, DOlh 13/30 Field of Search 57/35, 58.89, 58.95, 162,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1961 Wilke et al. 57/164 [451 Sept. 24, 1974 3,597,9ll 8/1971 Schiltknecht 57/58.89 X

3,659,410 5/1972 Barorhovsky et al. 57/58.89

Primary Examiner-Donald E. Watkins [57] ABSTRACT Method of and apparatus for producing finished openend yarn in a spinning chamber. A finishing material, for instance dyestuff, is fed into the spinning chamber, which is provided with a collecting surface for depositing fiber and with a take-off opening for taking-off yarn. The finishing material, for instance dyestuff, is applied to the yarn between the collecting surface and the take-off opening by friction of the yarn against a rotating application surface, the dyeing-through of the yarn being accomplished by penetration of twists of the yarn in the direction towards the collecting surface.

14 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FINISHED OPEN END YARN IN A SPINNING CHAMBER This invention has for its objects the provision of a method of and an apparatus for producing finished open end yarn in a spinning chamber, into which dyestuff or some other finishing material is introduced. The spinning chamber is provided with a collecting surface for depositing fibers and with a take-off opening for taking off the yarn.

Textile material is actually dyed in any stage of its treatment from loose stock up to finished goods. Different technologies and special arrangements are used for the dyeing of these different kinds of textile materials.

Loose stock is dyed in so-called stuffer boxes, or more recently, the material is dyed in the course of its movement, the dye bath being simultaneously taken along. Tops and card slivers are dyed on large packages with perforated tubes in special plants. Yarn is dyed in the shape of strands on bobbins, on warp beams and the like in different, relatively complicated arrangements. There are many different machines for the dyeing of fabrics; the intricacy of the arrangement is determined by the chosen method of dyeing.

All these methods lead to a single result, to provide a colored textile product. i

From the actual state of technology of dyeing it follows that it is necessary either first to dye the textile material and bring it subsequently into the shape of a sliver, yarn, or fabric, or to work it in its grey condition to yarn or fabric and then dye it thereafter.

If the material is designed for open end spinning, certain drawbacks of these dyeing methods become apparant.

The material dyed as loose stock is treated with difficulties in the course of the preparatory spinning process, as this process involves a loosening of the dyestuff and the fibers have bad friction and electroconductive properties. The dyed sliver and a sliver made of dyed fibers introduced into a break-spinning unit are equally worked with difficulties. The arrangement becomes clogged by the dyestuff, whereby its cleaning is rather difficult. There is, furthermore, the circumstance that the pneumatic conveying of fibers for open end spinning devices is rather sensitive to the surface friction properties of the fibers and to their electrical surface conductivity which influence the generation of electrostatic forces.

Finishes for different materials which improve the friction properties of the fibers, and which prevent the generationof electrostatic charges, are washed out in the course of dyeing the dyed material and have to be again deposited, thus increasing the manufacturing costs.

Open-end yarn has a larger number of turns per unit length than conventional yarn. It is therefore relatively more difficult to obtain a uniform dyeing through of the whole cross section of such yarn. This dyeing is now frequently performed on cross-wound packages, where the dyeing through is paricularly difficult.

Other methods of finishing yarn, similar to the abovementioned dyeing, require complicated and costly arrangements including large spaces for their location.

It is among the objects of this invention to overcome these drawbacks and to bring about a reduction of the floor space used at present for finishing and similar processes, to improve working conditions, to reduce the number of attendants required, and to improve the dyeing of the yarn throughout its whole cross section.

It is a further object of this invention to economically produce colored or otherwise finished open-end yarn in a spinning chamber for break-spinning, and thus to combine different operations, i.e. the dyeing or other finishing of textile material and the forming of the yarn, in a single technological operation of the machine, for instance for the break-spinning of colored yarn from undyed fibers.

Thus a combination of two hitherto unrelated and different processes is produced, namely, the operation of a spinning mill and, for instance, the operation of dyehouse to a single operation with minimum requirements for floor space for the machine and with a high output of finished, for instance colored (in the following only dyeing will be mentioned) final yarn of good properties.

The invention allows the number of attendants up to now required for forming a finished textile material to be reduced to a minimum, necessary for the attendence of open-end spinning machines, plus a special operator for mixing dyestuff or other finished agents (apart from an appropriate periodical maintenance of the additional, dyeing and/or finishing arrangement).

In accordance with the invention, the finishing agent for instance dyestuff, is applied to the formed yarn between a collecting surface and a take-off opening of an open-end spinning chamber. Another advantage of the method according to this invention is that the yarn collects the finishing agent, for instance dyestuff, by friction against a rotating applicationsurface to'which ad ditional dyestuff is constantly supplied, whereby a coloring-through is achieved by penetration of the twists of the yarn in the direction toward the collecting surface.

The apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention comprises a spinning chamber in which an application surface is provided between the collecting surface and the take-off opening, whereby in the course of spinning the formed yarn is rubbed against such application surface, opposite to which there is provided at least one jet for the supply of the dyestuff.

It is advantageous from the point of view of design to situate the application surface on the wall of the spin ning chamber between the collecting surface and the mouth of ventilating ports provided in a wall or walls of the chamber.

It is furthermore advantageous from the operational point of view to provide at least one distribution groove on the application surface, and that the application surface passes over, in the direction toward the collecting surface, into an off-sprinkling groove which is connected with the space surrounding the external part of the spinning chamber via at least one off-sprinkling channel.

A further feature of this invention is that the jet forms a part of an ejector exposed to the suction effect of the spinning chamber.

Another feature is that the off-sprinkling channel terminates against a baffle wall, with a collecting channel below this baffle wall, and that the jet is connected to a distribution tank which in turn is connected to a central dyestuff tank, in the case given the off-sprinkling channel being connected with the distribution tank via a discharge channel.-

lt is furthermore advantageous to provide a mixing device in the central tank; alternatively, the distribution tank may be provided with a mixing device.

in order to maintain a stable temperature it is useful to install an adjustable heating element in the central tank; alternatively, the distribution tank can have an adjustable heating element.

Exemplary embodiments of the method and apparatus of this invention are shown in the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a spinning chamber;

FIG. 2 is an axial view of the application surface in a section taken along a plane indicated in FIG. I by line A-A;

FIG. 3 is an axial view of the take-off opening of the spinning chamber and of the mouth ofjets for the supply of dyestuff; and

FIG. 4 is an overall schematic view of the apparatus with a distribution tank for the dyestuff.

A known supply roller 11 and a combining-out cylinder 12 for the supply and separating ofa sliver 2 of staple fibers are provided in a body I of a fiber separating mechanism. in the body 1 there is also a supply duct 13 for the feeding of separated fibers 21 into the spinning chamber 3.

The spinning chamber 3 is fixed to a rotatable shaft 31 journalled in bearings 32, 33 supported in a bushing 34 fixed to the frame 4 ofa machine (not shown) which comprises a number of identical spinning units. The shaft 31 is driven by driving means (not shown). The spinning chamber 3 comprises an upwards widening sloping wall 35 with the supply channel for the separated fibers, which channel terminates opposite to this wall 35, the sloping wall 35 merging into a collecting surface 36, where the separated fibers 21 are deposited in the course of spinning.

A wall 37 passing over into off-sprinkling grooves 38 joins the collecting surface 36, with off-sprinkling channels 380 leading from these off-sprinkling grooves 38. A dyestuff application surface 30 forms a continuation of this part of the spinning chamber 3, which application surface 30 is provided with one or more distributing grooves 30K; in the apparatus shown only a single .groove is illustrated.

The dyestuff application surface 30 passes over into a recess 39 coaxial with the axis of rotation of the spinning chamber 3, from which recess 39 there extend ventilation channels 390 with mouths 391 mouths 39] serving for the generation of subatmospheric pressure inthe spinning chamber 3. Ventilation channels 390 lead in a similar manner to the off-sprinkling channels 380 which extend to the space surrounding the external part of the spinning chamber 3.

In the part of the body 1 which contactlessly closes the spinning chamber 3 there is provided a take-off funnel 14 with a take-off opening 140 at its axis of rotation, a take-off duct for taking-off the yarn 22 from the spinning chamber 3 communicating with this takeoff opening 140. The take-off of yarn is accomplished by take-off rollers 23 and 24 as shown in FIG. 4; the yarn 22 is wound upon a bobbin (not shown).

The collecting surface 36, the application surface 30 and the take-off funnel 14 are so arranged as to bring the yarn formed in the spinning chamber 3 into contact with the application surface 30.-

At least one jet for the supply of dyestuff is provided in the body 1 opposite to the application surface 30. This jet 5 is advantageously a part of an ejector system exposed to the suction effect of the spinningchamber 3 and is connected by means of a tube 51, in which a regulating element 52, for instance a valve is inserted, to the ambient space. The jet 5 is simultaneously connected by a tubing 50 with a distribution tank 53 for dyestuff or other finishing material. This distribution tank 53 which is provided with a valve operated by a float means 530 for maintaining a constant level of the dyestuff, is connected by a tube 54 with a central tank 55 which contains dyestuff and is provided with a mixing device 550 and a heating element 551. A mixing device 550 and a heating element 551 can also be provided for each distribution tank 53 if one such tank is provided for each spinning unit or for a group of spinning units. The central tank 55 serves for feeding the distribution tanks 53.

The off-sprinkling channels 380 terminate opposite to the baffle wall 61 of the spinning chamber cover 6; a collecting channel 62 is provided below this baffle wall 61; the collecting channel 62 is connected with the distribution tank 53 by a discharge channel 63. At least one suck-in port 64 and a suck-offport 65 are provided in the cover 6, the suck-off port 65 being connected to the suck-off channel 66 which is connected in turn to the suction ventilator 67 for removing the waste air containing vapors from the dyestuff into the space outside the spinning mill. Both tanks 53 and 55 have deaerating openings which can advantageously be connected to the suck-off channel 66.

The process of dyeing or other finishing and the operation of the described arrangement is carried out as follows:

A sliver 2 of undyed staple fibers is separated in a known way by the combing out cylinder 12 and the fibers 21 are conveyed by way of the supply duct 13 into the rotating spinning chamber 3 to the sloping wall 35 and therefrom to the collecting surface 36 where they are deposited in a configuration similar to a ribbon; This ribbon is taken-off through the take-off opening and through the take-off channel 16 by the action of the take-off rollers 23 and 24 and wound upon a bobbin(n0t shown).

The thus formed yarn 22 is in contact with the rotating application surface 30 between the collecting surface 36 and the take-off opening 140 and removes the dyestuff therefrom, the dyestuff being steadily supplied thereto by at least one jet 5. A good dyeing through is thereby achieved by penetrating the yarn twists towards the collecting surface 36, whereby the dyestuff, due to yarn twisting, is forced into the whole cross section of the yarn. The dyed yarn is thereafter taken off as already described and wound upon bobbins, advantageously on cross-wound bobbins, where the dyestuff is stabilized, or where other chemical processes required for stabilization of the dyestuff take place.

The dyestuff is supplied to the jets 5 from the distri bution tank 53 over the tubingSO due to the ejector effect inreased by reduction of the jet as shown in FIG. 1 and due to underpressure vacuum in the spinning chamber 3, whereby the required amount of dyestuff supplied is adjusted by the regulating element 52. The distribution groove 301 facilitates the distribution of the dyestuff on the whole application surface 30, creates a certain spare amount of dyestuff, and slows down the migration of the dyestuff toward the collecting surface 36; the excess amount of dyestuff flows into the off-sprinkling groove 38 and therefrom through the offsprinkling channels 380 towards the baffle wall 61, flows down along this wall into the collecting channel 62 and back therefrom into the distribution tank 53. As soon as the level of the dyestuff in the distribution tank 53 drops, the valve operated by the float means 350 is opened and the distribution tank 53 is refilled with dyestuff from the central tank 55.

As the application surface 30 is well cooled through the ventilation channels 390 and air from the surrounding atmosphere enters over the suck-in ports 64 into the space surrounding spinning chamber, it is possible to perform dyeing at higher temperatures. The required adjustable temperature is regulated by means of the heating element 551.

As yarn of different thickness can be produced on this machine, i.e. yarn having in cross section different amounts of fibers, and as the machine can work or form the yarn at different speed, different amounts of dyestuff are required for dyeing through. It is therefore advantageous and sometimes even necessary to adjust the amount of dyestuff applied to the spinning chamber 3 in dependence on the technological parameters of the worked yarn. It is also advisable to regulate the amount of supplied dyestuff by the regulate the amount of supplied dyestuff by the regulating element 52 so that for a coarser metric count of yarn a larger amount of dyestuff is supplied; this also holds true for the same metric count of yarn taken off at an increased speed.

The described process of dyeing can also be applied with different finishing and auxiliary agents, and to a finishing of yarn in order to achieve a certain smoothness, to the increase of crease proofing, and for other effects.

The individual phases of the process for e.g. dyeing proceed as follows:

At the beginning of the dyeing process the spinning chamber 3 is first set in rotation and within a small time lag from the start of rotation a continuous dyestuff is fed into the space of the spinning chamber 3. An amount of fibers is thereafter supplied to the collecting surface 36 of the spinning chamber 3 whereupon the end of yarn 22 is introduced over the take-off opening 140 into the spinning chamber 3 with the result that yarn 22 is already formed from continuously supplied fibers 21. The yarn 22 is dyed, taken-off and wound upon a bobbin. The dyeing process is finished by first stopping the supply of fibers 21 into the spinning chamber 3, stopping the take-off of the yarn 22, and finally stopping the feeding of dyestuff into the space of the spinning chamber 3 with a small lead prior to its stoppage.

Although the invention is illustrated and described with reference to a plurality of preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be expressly understood that it is in no way limited to the disclosure of such a plurality of preferred embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing finished open-end yarn in a spinning chamber, comprising supplying a finishing material, into the chamber providing the chamber with a collecting surface for the depositing of fibers and with a take-off opening for taking-off yarn, and applying the finishing material to the yarn between the collecting surface and the take-off opening of the spinning chamber.

2. The method as in claim 1, comprising applying the finishing material to the yarn by the friction of the yarn against a rotating application surface, and dyeingthrough the yarn by the penetration of twists of the yarn in the direction towards the collecting surface.

3. Apparatus for producing finished open-end yarns, comprising a spinning chamber with a collecting surface and a take-off opening and having an application surface between said collecting surface and take-off opening, the formed yarn being brought against the application surface, and at least one jet for supplying the finishing material, said jet being disposed opposite to said application surface.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3, comprising ventilation channels in the chamber, and wherein the application surface is disposed on a wall of the spinning chamber between the collecting surface and the mouths of the ventilation channels.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4, wherein at least one distribution groove is provided on the application surface.

6. Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the jet is part of an ejector system exposed to the suction effect of the spinning chamber.

7. Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the application surface merges, in the direction toward the collecting surface, into an off-sprinkling groove communicating with the space surrounding the external part of the spinning chamber via at least one off-sprinkling chan-' nel.

8. Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the off-sprinkling channel terminates opposite to the baffle wall, with a collecting channel below said baffle wall.

9. Apparatus as in claim 3, comprising a distribution tank which is in turn connected to a central tank for the finishing material, said jet being connected to said distribution tank.

10. Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the offsprinkling channel is connected to the distribution tank via a discharge channel.

11. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the central tank is provided with a mixing device.

12. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the distribution tank is provided with a mixing device.

13. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the central tank is provided with an adjustable heating element.

14. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the distribution tank is provided with an adjustable heating element. 

1. A method for producing finished open-end yarn in a spinning chamber, comprising supplying a finishing material, into the chamber providing the chamber with a collecting surface for the depositing of fibers and with a take-off opening for taking-off yarn, and applying the finishing material to the yarn between the collecting surface and the take-off opening of the spinning chamber.
 2. The method as in claim 1, comprising applying the finishing material to the yarn by the friction of the yarn against a rotating application surface, and dyeing-through the yarn by the penetration of twists of the yarn in the direction towards the collecting surface.
 3. Apparatus for producing finished open-end yarns, comprising a spinning chamber with a collecting surface and a take-off opening and having an application surface between said collecting surface and take-off opening, the formed yarn being brought against the application surface, and at least one jet for supplying the finishing material, said jet being disposed opposite to said application surface.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 3, comprising ventilation channels in the chamber, and wherein the application surface is disposed on a wall of the spinning chamber between the collecting surface and the mouths of the ventilation channels.
 5. Apparatus as in claim 4, wherein at least one distribution groove is provided on the application surface.
 6. Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the jet is part of an ejector system exposed to the suction effect of the spinning chamber.
 7. Apparatus as in claim 3, wherein the application surface merges, in the direction toward the collecting surface, into an off-sprinkling groove communicating with the space surrounding the external part of the spinning chamber via at least one off-sprinkling channel.
 8. Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the off-sprinkling channel terminates opposite to the baffle wall, with a collecting channel below said baffle wall.
 9. Apparatus as in claim 3, comprising a distribution tank which is in turn connected to a central tank for the finishing material, said jet being connected to said distribution tank.
 10. Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the off-sprinkling channel is connected to the distribution tank via a dischargE channel.
 11. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the central tank is provided with a mixing device.
 12. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the distribution tank is provided with a mixing device.
 13. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the central tank is provided with an adjustable heating element.
 14. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein the distribution tank is provided with an adjustable heating element. 